Air conditioners are used to control air of an indoor area depending on the purpose of the indoor area. For example, air conditioners are used to cool indoor air in summer and heat indoor air in winter. Furthermore, the air conditioners are used to control the humidity of indoor air and clean indoor air.
Such air conditioners can be classified into a split air conditioner and a one-body air conditioner. In the split air conditioner, an indoor unit and an outdoor unit are separated. In the one-body air conditioner, an indoor unit and an outdoor unit are combined in one piece.
Meanwhile, an indoor unit of an air conditioner includes an indoor fan for blowing air and an indoor heat exchanger for heat exchange between air and a refrigerant. The indoor unit can further include an air guide for guiding air blown by the indoor fan.
The indoor unit further includes an inlet in one side and an outlet in the other side. Air is introduced into the indoor unit through the inlet. The air is discharged from the indoor unit through the outlet after changing heat with a refrigerant at the indoor heat exchanger. The positions of the inlet and outlet of the indoor unit can be varied.
Generally, a vane is disposed at the outlet of the indoor unit to control the direction and amount of air discharged from the indoor unit through the outlet.
The structures of the indoor unit, such as the relationship between areas of the inlet and the outlet, the shape of the air guide, and the relationship between the outlet and the vane, are closely related to noises of the indoor unit.
Therefore, there is a need for an indoor unit having optimized structures for reducing noises.